A large tamarind tree fell across a road at Kizhakkombu Post Office Junction in Koothattukulam on Thursday morning, damaging a nearby house, two motorcycles and electricity infrastructure while narrowly missing two scooter riders.
The incident occurred at about 8am on the road branching from Kizhakkombu Post Office Junction towards Mangattambalam. The tree fell from a property beside the road, bringing down two electricity poles and power lines across the carriageway. A sheet-roofed upper section of the house belonging to Jacob Kurian of Moleparambil, Kizhakkombu, was damaged.
Two motorcycles parked along the roadside were also damaged. The fallen tree and electric lines blocked the road and created an immediate risk to people and vehicles approaching the site.
According to eyewitnesses Anish Kunnumpurath and Dennis Varghese, one branch broke first before the rest of the tamarind tree fell with a loud sound. Two scooter riders were arriving close to the location when the electricity poles and wires came down. One of them, identified as Kudu, a 45-year-old worker from Kolkata, reportedly left his scooter on the road and moved away just in time.
Kudu later attempted to return to retrieve the scooter, but local residents stopped him because broken electrical wires were lying near the vehicle. The account highlights the danger created when roadside trees fall together with live or potentially live power infrastructure, particularly before electricity supply is isolated and the area is secured.
The junction is used by people travelling to a nearby tea shop and lies along a route used by school buses, children and other passengers. The location’s regular pedestrian and traffic movement increased the potential for injuries when the tree, poles and wires fell across the road.
Koothattukulam municipal chairperson Reji John and councillors P.C. Bhaskaran, Sheeba Raju and Sheela Binoy visited the site. The Koothattukulam fire and rescue team cut and removed the fallen tree, after which traffic movement was restored.
The incident caused damage to private property and roadside assets, but the supplied report did not mention any injuries. It also did not provide details on the extent of the power outage, the condition of the damaged poles or whether the tree had previously been assessed for structural risk. The immediate response concluded with the removal of the obstruction and restoration of traffic on the affected road.
